


The Perfect Present

by AbstractAurora



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, Craft Fair, Dolls, Donut Party, F/M, Fluff, Post-Despair, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-15
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:38:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2758142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbstractAurora/pseuds/AbstractAurora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Makoto Naegi wants is to give Kyouko Kirigiri the best Christmas gift he can find.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, I decided to do a Christmas fic. It takes a while to get to the point, but I hope it's worth the wait.

He had expected crowds on this particular Sunday. Surely there would be plenty of vendors attending what was claimed to be the largest craft fair in the area. And as Christmas was around the corner, he had expected that to be reflected in the decorum. However, few of his preconceptions matched what was before him now.

Makoto Naegi's eyes widened as he took in the busy street. He knew this particular craft fair to be the largest celebration of Christmas in the city. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the onslaught of holiday spirit throughout the street. Wreaths were hung on practically every shop's door, and Christmas trees peeked out from every store's window. But the lights...the lights were a spectacle of their own. There were so many strands of colorful lights wrapped around the trees and lampposts, setting the snow-dusted street aglow.

It was not just the sights that dazzled him. There were hundreds of people, all of them walking down the sidewalks, talking, shouting, selling their crafts. A thousand footsteps landed on the pavement at different intervals. An old man played "O Christmas Tree" on an ocarina.

Even the air reminded him of Christmas. He inhaled the cool but pleasant wind and found himself overwhelmed by a pine tree smell.

But there was more to the street than Christmas decorations and large crowds. For some reason, he could tell that the majority of people shopping and selling were at peace with themselves. Did their jubilant voices give them away? Or was it the collective knowledge that the world's despair-filled days were over? Either way, he was inclined to share in this feeling fully once he found the perfect gift for Kyouko Kirigiri, his dearest friend. After all, he was the very reason he was attending this particular event.

"Pretty neat, isn't it?"

Makoto inhaled sharply when his companion spoke.

"The weeks before Christmas are always the best," Aoi Asahina added. "I mean, you just _know_ you'll be exchanging presents and eating good food soon, right?"

"Yeah," Makoto responded faintly, recovering from his festivities-induced shock.

They began their walk through the busy street. Tables and booths lined the sidewalk, forcing shoppers to walk on the car-less road.

"Okay, so you need a gift for Kyouko," Aoi said to Makoto. "Is that right?"

He nodded. "Right. And this year, I want it to be unique. A gift she will never forget."

"Why not get her some gloves?"

"Ah, I got her that last year," Makoto said with a sigh. "This year, I want to try something different. I want to get her the perfect Christmas present, you know?"

"Oh, I totally understand!" Aoi said lightly. "That's why I'm helping you out."

While they began to browse the craft tables and shops for potential gifts, Makoto silently wondered how she was going to help out. Aoi had asked him to accompany her to the craft fair a few days beforehand. He had agreed, since he figured a place like that would help him find a unique present for Kyouko. He wasn't even sure why Aoi herself wanted to go. Was she going to shop for gifts as well?

 _That's probably it,_ Makoto thought.

Minutes, then hours slowly passed them by while they searched for the perfect gift. Over time, Makoto's sunny disposition began to fade away. Something about the entire experience was odd...

_Was this it?_

As Makoto browsed more and more tables, and swept through more and more shops, he noticed patterns in what was offered. Many of the vendors sold the same products; even if he wanted to buy jewelry, handmade soap or Christmas-themed china, he would never be able to decide which seller to buy it from.

The crafts were also rather expensive. Before today, he had never set his eyes on crafts that cost three weeks' worth of paychecks from the Future Foundation. Yet everywhere were lofty price tags which threatened to starve him of his spending money.

He was quickly learning that his quest was going to be difficult. Unless he wanted to break the bank or settle for something average, he was never going to succeed in finding the right gift.

Makoto sighed loudly as he examined an item in his hands.

"Did you find something?" Aoi asked him.

"Not really," he said. "I mean, I was thinking about buying her this..."

He showed Aoi the item, which happened to be a bottle of homemade blueberry-scented perfume.

"But it costs ten thousand yen!"

"How much money did you bring with you?" Aoi asked.

"Two thousand," Makoto said with a groan.

Aoi stifled a laugh in her arm.

"Well, you brought more money than I did," she then offered. "I was only going to buy a snack, if anything."

Makoto carefully placed the bottle back on the table and followed Aoi down the street. He decided that no matter what, he would find something affordable to buy. He was not going to ask her for money.

Still, his search was proving to be futile. There truly were no crafts available that were both cheap and perfect for Kyouko. Failure seemed to be a strong contender for the outcome of the trip.

"Whoa!" Makoto blurted during a brief visit to a furniture store.

"What?" Aoi said.

Makoto held out a finely-carved Santa statue the size of his two hands.

"Look at how much this costs!" he insisted.

Aoi peeked at the price tag.

"Thirty-thousand yen. Oooh."

"Who would pay that much just for a little statue like this one?"

Seconds later, they exited the shop, not noticing a well-dressed old woman making a beeline for the carved Santa statue he had just examined.

By the time two hours had passed, Makoto's body felt like jelly. Although he tried his hardest to be hopeful, he also quietly wondered if he was going to have to give up.

"Listen..."

A dozen tables later, Aoi nudged him in his right arm.

"I see a donut shop right down the street," she told him, pointing to a brightly-decorated shop in the distance. "I'm gonna get some donuts for the road."

"All right," Makoto said, his voice tired.

"It's only gonna take, like, ten minutes tops. You can survive on your own until then, right?"

"Wait, what?"

Was she planning to left him behind?

"I won't be long!" Aoi offered as a goodbye before she ran over to the donut shop.

All of a sudden, Makoto felt exhausted. Perhaps Aoi had not be particularly useful in suggesting good present ideas. But she had kept both of their energies up. Now he was all by himself, in a position where only he could force himself to continue shopping.

Makoto glanced at the nearby craft booths. Could any of the tables have something unique that Kyouko would like? Would he have to make do with a necklace or some other kind of jewelry after all? It was not like he had much money...

He wandered over to the nearest table, his mind in an unpleasant haze.

"Oh, hello."

A quiet voice returned him to reality. Makoto blinked, then locked eyes with a middle-aged woman seated behind the table. But her eyes proved to be too intense, and he looked down at the table.

Lined up neatly were a few dozen pairs of wooden dolls. Most of them had tiny limbs which were tied together. Curious, he looked back up at the artisan.

"What are these?" Makoto asked.

"They're bojobo dolls," the artisan replied, her voice still quiet.

While Makoto appeared to not react, she added, "They come from an old legend in Saipan. Nowadays, people make wishes on them."

Makoto stared blankly at her.

"I really...have no idea what you're talking about," he said.

"Allow me to explain."

The artisan gestured to her selection of dolls.

"Bojobo dolls are made from the vines of bojobo nuts and coconut fibers," she began with. "Do you see how they are in pairs?"

Makoto's eyes darted between two particular dolls intertwined with each other.

"They are made to represent a male and female couple. People make wishes on these dolls by tying their arms and legs in a specific way. Like so."

The artisan picked up one of the doll pairs. The male's left and right hands were together, as were the female's left and right legs.

"If you wanted luck, you would tie their limbs like this," she told Makoto.

 _That would be nice,_ Makoto thought. But he didn't desire to wish for something that would only benefit himself.

"Or if you wanted friendship," the artisan added, picking up a new pair of dolls, "his left hand and her right hand are tied together. That is how you would wish for that."

Makoto nodded. "Okay...I think I understand."

"So," the artisan said, "what are you looking for? What brought you to my booth?"

A mental image of a smiling Kyouko formed in Makoto's mind, causing a light pink color to tint his cheeks.

"Well," he said carefully, "I have this friend..."

"Ah, a special lady in your life?"

The pink color in his cheeks intensified.

"Or are you buying for a male friend?" the artisan asked. "I also sell same-sex bojobo doll pairs..."

"That's okay," Makoto said, dismissing the offer. "It's for a girl. We've known each other for a while. I...I really like her. Maybe even..."

Could he dare finish his sentence out loud?

"I understand completely," the artisan said quickly, appearing to understand what he was going to say. "Do you want to give her a pair of bojobo dolls?"

Makoto nodded, growing more sure of himself. "I think she would like them."

"And would you like to tie them together and wish for love?"

"Love!?"

The artisan shrugged. Makoto's heart began to ache a little as he thought over the idea.

"I...I..."

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to wish for love on the dolls. Wasn't this what he wanted?

"Sure," Makoto finally answered.

His right arm hovered over the table, ready to choose two dolls to tie together.

"Just cross his left hand and her right hand together," the artisan instructed him. "Then do the same with his right hand and her left hand."

Makoto felt the artisan's eyes on him as he picked up a pair of separate bojobo dolls. The female was wearing a light purple skirt, and both their faces appeared to be surprised. Carefully, he tied the dolls' hands together as instructed. For some reason, the air felt less cold on his skin than it had back when he was walking around.

"That'll be six hundred yen," the artisan said.

A smile spread on Makoto's face. Not only were the dolls suitable for Kyouko, they would also go easy on his wallet.

Once he paid, the artisan gently wrapped them with tissue paper and placed them into a small plastic bag.

"I just hope she'll love them," Makoto blurted as he watched her.

Immediately, he regretted speaking his thoughts out loud. Why did he have to go and tell her that?

But the artisan was unperturbed. All she said was, "Bojobo dolls are a wonderful gift for loved ones. I would not worry too much."

Makoto's smile became awkward as he reached for the bag.

"Listen."

The artisan's voice was calm but firm. Makoto sheepishly returned his arm to the side of his body.

"Don't be so nervous," she told him. "I can see that you want to impress the special lady in your life. But there really is no such thing as the perfect present. Or if there is, it's far more mundane than you believe it to be."

Makoto chuckled nervously.

"Have a good day."

"You too," he told the artisan before leaving with his gift, his energy restored.

It did not take Makoto too long to find Aoi. She happened to be leaving the donut shop, carrying a stack of three white boxes in her arms.

"Are...those all donuts?" Makoto asked, eyeing the boxes up and down.

"Can you believe how cheap they were?" Aoi said lightly. "You could fill up an entire box for four hundred yen! And three of these boxes together cost one thousand yen!"

"Wow," Makoto said, unsure of how to react.

"I'll probably bring these boxes into work tomorrow," she added. "Everyone will be able to have some donuts for breakfast!"

 _That doesn't sound like a bad idea,_ Makoto thought. Perhaps then would be the perfect time to give the bojobo dolls to Kyouko.

But then something else occurred to him. Would he have to explain the significance behind why the dolls were tied in a particular way? For some reason, he had a feeling that he would have to...

Makoto blushed once again at that thought.


	2. Chapter 2

He walked into work on Monday and found himself staring at another festive spectacle.

Makoto blinked, disbelieving of the scene in the break room before him. With few exceptions, the Future Foundation did not allow its employees to host parties during working hours. The justification usually given was that there were more important matters for them to focus on. Yet now he was eyeing the Future Foundation's first-ever impromptu donut party.

 _Things must be changing around here,_ he thought.

Several Future Foundation employees were gathered around a table. The table in question hosted an assortment of donuts, all neatly lined up in three separate boxes. There was also a coffee maker and a stack of paper cups placed next to the boxes.

Makoto's stomach rumbled. He wasn't in a position to resist free food; he decided to treat himself to the light breakfast before beginning the day.

He grabbed an empty cup and began to serve himself some coffee. Beside him, a few of his coworkers discussed a television show from the night before. In the corner, Byakuya Togami and Touko Fukawa chatted. Makoto squinted his eyes, trying to make out the expression on Byakuya's face - he was either annoyed or just tired. It was hard to tell from a distance.

Makoto then spotted Kyouko sipping at her coffee cup, scanning the room. As usual, her face was rid of all emotion. Still, he smiled at the sight of his best friend. He had chosen not to bring the gift into work. Instead, he would wait until it was closer to Christmas, as it was still two weeks away.

"Good morning, Makoto," Kyouko said as he approached her with a coffee cup in his hand.

"Morning, Kyouko!" he replied.

Without another word, Makoto joined her side and started to people-watch as well. Neither of them spoke as their eyes flickered from person to person.

He recalled his first memories of Kyouko. When they first began hanging out, they barely talked to each other. Nowadays, their conversations were lengthier, but she was still prone to periods of silence. Makoto had since come to appreciate the comfortable silence they shared at times. And so they remained quiet as they sipped at their individual coffee cups and observed the break room.

To their left, Yasuhiro Hagakure chatted up another Future Foundation member. His stiff business suit contrasted with his gravity-defying hairstyle and laidback demeanor. Behind him, Aoi Asahina grabbed another donut before ducking out to start her work. Meanwhile, Byakuya also left the room, looking rather displeased with himself. Touko slunk off in the opposite direction with a secretive smile on her face. Makoto's eyes widened slightly - whatever did they talk about that caused them to react as they did? He would have to ask one of them later.

"So I hear that Christmas is coming."

Kyouko was the first one to break the silence.

"Y-yeah," Makoto said. "I bought you a gift."

"I know you did."

"Huh?"

Sweat suddenly formed on his hands.

"Hina told me that you went with her to the craft fair," Kyouko explained, still calm.

"Oh, right...I did."

Then a thought occurred to Makoto: how would she know he had gotten her a gift?

A small blush appeared on his face as he considered the reasons. It was not like they were officially in a relationship yet. They hung out alone every once in a while, but they hardly acted like anything more than unusually-close friends. Plus, their work at the Future Foundation consumed plenty of their time. Rebuilding the world was their priority, not forming intimate relationships. For all he knew, this conversation would be his best chance to talk to her all week.

"There's no need to be anxious," Kyouko finally said, picking up on his mood. "I bought you a gift as well."

Relief swept through Makoto. Still, he was quick to say, "You didn't need to do that!"

"Is that how you really feel?"

 _Darn it,_ Makoto thought. She was way too skilled at picking up on his feelings, and rather intolerant of any attempts he made to lie to her. By now, he knew to not even bother.

"I could never lie to you, Kyouko," he confessed. "I'm glad you did."

After he said this, Kyouko smiled. Makoto could not help but smile himself: whenever he got the usually-stoic Kyouko to smile, it made his entire day all the more brighter.

"When do you want me to give you your present?" he then asked.

"Hm?"

The expression on Kyouko's face was curious.

"Why not on Christmas?" she asked. "Or on Christmas Eve?"

"Christmas Eve is all right," Makoto quickly said. "I just w-wanted to make sure that was all right with you."

All he got was a nod in reply.

Makoto returned to people-watching, only to find no subjects to watch. By then, all the donuts were gone and the coffee pot empty. Except for them, the break room was completely empty.

"We should get back to work," Kyouko said.

"Yeah," Makoto said. "So I'll see you on Christmas Eve, all right?"

She nodded again as they exited the break room, ready to began another busy day at the Future Foundation.

* * *

 

 _Of course it's snowing,_ Makoto thought as he trudged through the snow-covered sidewalk on Christmas Eve night. By then, it had amassed enough to reach the middle of his thighs. Still, with where he was going, something like heavy snowfall was no reason to despair. Quite to the contrary, in fact; the warm feeling inside his heart only intensified. He imagined himself to be the protagonist in a Christmas movie. His story was at the climax, and he was ready to give the perfect gift to the woman he loved. All he had to do was keep walking.

Finally, he was at the doorstop of Kyouko's apartment. Shivering, he knocked on the door a couple times.

The door opened only a few seconds later. As he gazed into Kyouko's purple eyes, Makoto nearly dropped his present into the snow. But he forced a smile through his nervous shaking.

"Er, hey," Makoto said. "Merry Christmas."

"Would you like to come in?" Kyouko replied, cutting right to the chase.

"Sure...thanks."

Makoto sighed in relief once he entered Kyouko's apartment. The heated air seemed to wrap him into a tight embrace, releasing the coldness from his body.

"I have your gift as well," Kyouko said. "Please wait."

While she hurried off into another room to grab his present, Makoto slipped off his coat and hung it on a nearby coat rack. He then marveled at the stately appearance of the living room - it was tidier than his own apartment. The furniture was carefully arranged, the various items lying around were organized, and as far as he was concerned, it looked like she was about to sell the apartment to someone. The only thing that was out of place was the apparent lack of holiday decorations. There was no Christmas tree, no Christmas lights, not even a stocking hanging on the wall. In fact, there was no indication in Kyouko's apartment that it was the holiday season.

As he waited for Kyouko to return, Makoto couldn't help but feel a little sad. Although he was hardly stocked for cash, he had taken the time to buy a small Christmas tree for his desk at his own apartment. He also had strung up some Christmas lights around his living room. Perhaps decorating wasn't necessary, but he liked the warm and fuzzy feeling that filled his heart when he got into the holiday spirit.

 _Maybe she'll decorate next year,_ he thought hopefully, just as Kyouko returned with a neatly-wrapped present. It was the shape and size of a lumpy throw pillow.

"Here, I got you something," Kyouko said, offering the gift to him. "Merry Christmas, Makoto."

He eagerly accepted it, then ripped off the wrapping paper.

"Oh wow..." Makoto said, looking over his gift. "You got me a new coat!"

"You mentioned that you had ripped a hole in the right elbow of your old coat," Kyouko said, her eyes wandering to the wooden rack in the corner. Indeed, the coat hanging from it sported a sizable tear in one arm.

"I've been meaning to replace it soon," Makoto said, smiling. "Thank you so much, Kyouko!"

Kyouko smiled back, albeit briefly.

"A-anyway, here you go," he said, almost shoving the present into her gloved hands. "Merry Christmas, Kyouko!"

As pleased as Makoto was with his gift, he could not forget about her own. While Kyouko carefully unwrapped the package, his eyes widened in anticipation. Time slowed to a crawl when she lifted the tied-together bojobo dolls out of the tissue paper. Although she said nothing, the look in her eyes indicated curiosity.

"K-Kyouko...?"

She still said nothing. Her eyes examined the dolls, and her gloved hands touched them gingerly. For one horrifying second, Makoto had a flashback of Kyouko examining a dead body at Hope's Peak Academy. But he forced the mental image out of his head and awaited her response.

Kyouko finally looked up at him. When she spoke, she said:

"You...got me bojobo dolls."

_What!?_

Makoto's heart skipped a beat.

"You know about them!?" he asked.

"I visited Saipan when I was young," Kyouko said, looking off to the side for a moment. "I remember buying my own pair of dolls at a gift shop."

"Oh."

 _Maybe this was a bad idea,_ Makoto thought. Perhaps they weren't as special to her as he expected them to be...

"Do you remember anything about them?" he then said.

"Somewhat," Kyouko said. "You tie their limbs together in order to make wishes on them, correct?"

"Y-yeah..."

She continued her examination of the bojobo dolls. Another thought then dawned on Makoto: if she knew about the dolls and how they worked, it would not be long before she figured out the significance behind how they were tied.

"It appears you already tied them together," Kyouko said. "Did you wish for something on them?"

And there was the confirmation.

"I'm sorry, Kyouko!" Makoto said, frantic. "Did you want to wish for something?"

She shook her head. "It's fine, Makoto. I'm just curious...what did you wish for?"

Makoto froze up. His mind swarmed with a dozen responses; however, none of them seemed coherent in his current state.

"Um..."

"You can tell me," Kyouko said calmly. "I won't be mad."

Makoto was dying to tell her his wish, but he was also paralyzed with anxiety. Out of all the possibilities he previously considered for how his love confession to Kyouko would go - and he had imagined the moment many times - he did not expect it to go like this.

Still, there was no way he was going to lie to her. He owed her the truth.

"I...wished for love," Makoto finally told her.

Kyouko did not respond immediately. Her face was emotionless, although he could tell she was thinking over his words.

Eventually, she said, "Love? Just love?"

Makoto chuckled nervously. "Well..."

He paused, unable to finish his sentence. Kyouko patiently waited for him to gather his courage. But finally, he tired of stalling for time in order to tame his nerves.

With a sigh, he said, "I really wanted to get you a unique gift, Kyouko. Maybe I took that goal too far."

"Hm?"

"I wanted to get you something you would never forget," Makoto explained, "so I got you these dolls...and I decided to wish for love on them. I thought it would make them special to you. I'm really sorry...I shouldn't have done that."

When he finished speaking, some of his anxiety faded away. But a lingering sense of guilt still flooded him. Kyouko had been the one who got him the perfect gift; he mentioned that he needed a new coat, so she bought him one. Meanwhile, he had been so caught up in the idea of buying a unique gift that in the end, his present was a disappointment.

Meanwhile, Kyouko blankly stared at the dolls, then at him. Makoto awkwardly grinned, hoping for a favorable response.

"So you bought me bojobo dolls to give to me for Christmas," Kyouko said, clearly looking for clarification, "then wished for love on them."

Makoto nodded. "Y-yeah. Because, uh..."

Again, the words would not come. He was still convinced that he had ruined everything.

But then, Kyouko gave him a small smile.

"Your sincerity does you good, Makoto."

A gasp escaped his lips. The sudden warmth in her eyes renewed his hopeful nervousness.

"If you wanted my love," Kyouko said, a light blush spreading on her cheeks, "you should have just asked for it."

No longer could Makoto hide how heated his face felt.

"B-but...you make it sound like-!"

"Remember what I said to you before at our graduation?"

Makoto was quiet, opting to just stare at her with a confused but embarrassed expression on his face.

"At the time," Kyouko said carefully, "I said I was looking forward to the future if I was going to be with someone like you. That's still true."

Makoto still said nothing. The confusion began to fade away from his eyes.

"Look...I get that the future is scary," Kyouko told him, placing the bojobo dolls on a nearby coffee table. "I know how you feel. But I want your love, too. Maybe...if we explore this together, our future won't look so scary."

When she began to lean in closer to him, Makoto outright dropped his coat. Was she going in for a kiss!?

But when her lips met his, the panic in his chest vanished. Instead, he allowed himself to wrap his arms around Kyouko's waist and kiss her softly. In turn, Makoto felt a pair of gloved hands on his shoulders.  And for those precious few seconds, he forgot to be anxious. All was perfect in his world.

After they broke apart, Makoto was unable to move. It was like she had paralyzed him with a powerful spell. But with all the not-entirely unpleasant shudders running down his body, he found that he didn't mind the feeling.

"Thank you for your dolls by the way," Kyouko finally said, barely containing her shy grin. Her right hand rested on top of her lips.

"N-no problem," Makoto replied, pleased.

He was still lost to that wonderful feeling. But then he reluctantly calmed down and retrieved his new coat from the ground. Still, possibilities of he and Kyouko together appeared in his mind. Now that he knew she loved him as much as he loved her, what would come next for them? Would they start dating? Would he be able to kiss her anytime they wanted? Would they spend long nights talking about whatever came to mind, enveloped in their own cozy paradise?

All these possibilities, to him, were the best thing that could have ever happened to him for Christmas. And it was then that he had another thought:

_I think I understand what the perfect present really is now._


End file.
